- Zhou Yu is a Chinese name; the family name is Zhou.
Zhou Yu is a unique legendary Strategist hero in Total War: Three Kingdoms. He is a member of Xue Li in 194. He later joins Sun Ce in 200.
Description[]
Meet Zhou Yu, Wu's finest strategist, loyal officer of the Sun family, and close friend to both Sun Ce and Sun Quan. Calm and intelligent, Zhou Yu is a wise military tactician who sees through most of his enemies' ploys.
General Information[]
Attributes[]
Main Article: Attributes (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
 Expertise |
 Resolve |
 Cunning |
 Instinct |
 Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 45 | 124 | 44 | 49 |
| -15% construction cost (administered commandery) +25 melee evasion +9% general's health +1k population growth (administered commandery) +55% ammunition (own retinue) +13 military supplies (own army) +5% melee damage -1% recruitment cost (this army) +2 satisfaction (faction-wide, if leader, heir or prime minister) +2 unit morale (own retinue) | ||||
Background[]
Main Article: Background (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
Melodic Strategist
- +30 expertise
- +20 cunning
- +10 authority
- +1 resilience
- -10% retinue upkeep (faction-wide, if leader, heir or prime minister)
- +4 morale when defending (faction-wide, if leader, heir or prime minister)
- Admires Intelligence, Commends Flexibility
Traits[]
Main Article: Traits (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Clever
- Loyal
- +8 expertise
- -50% desire for higher office
- Decreases ambition to gain independence as administrator
- Focuses on Family
- Resourceful
Skills[]
Main Article: Skill (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Composure
- +8 cunning
- Enables: Fire Arrows (own retinue)
- Enables: Night Battles (this army)
- Inspiring Surge
- +4 cunning
- +4 instinct
- Ability: Inspiring Surge
- Scholarship
- Intuition
- +8 expertise
- +25% chance of evading capture post-battle
- +15% income from industry (administered commandery)
Abilities[]
Main Article: Ability (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Unbreakable
- Does not suffer any morale loss and will never rout.
- Inspiring Surge (Passive Buff)
- Can target if:
- General
- -2s decreased cooldown of abilities
- Range: 50m
- Duration: Infinite
- Can target if:
Ancillaries[]
Main Article: Ancillary (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Noble's Sword
- Base Melee Damage: 643
- Armour-Piercing Melee Damage: 161
- Melee Attack Rate: 30
- +9 authority
- +5 satisfaction
- Zhou Yu's Armour
- Base Armour: 45
- +18 cunning
- Enables: Unbreakable
- +12 charge bonus
- Black Horse
- Speed: 97
- Mass: 1.5k
- +2 cunning
Guanxi[]
Main Article: Guanxi
Biography[]
Born in Lujiang commandery, Zhou Yu befriended Sun Ce while he and the rest of the Sun family lived there in the early 190s while Sun Jian was on his military campaigns. Henceforth, he became a close friend of the Sun family. He later served briefly under his uncle, Zhou Shang, who was appointed administrator of Danyang by Yuan Shu, before finally joining Sun Ce once more. The two's old friendship was rekindled, and Zhou Yu became a close advisor and confidant to Sun Ce during his military campaigns.
As Sun Ce swept through much of southern China in a wave of conquests, he tasked Zhou Yu with holding on to Danyang for him thanks to his uncle's ties in the area. However, Zhou Shang's position as administrator was revoked by Yuan Shu and he was recalled, with Zhou Yu accompanying him, only for him to defect back to Sun Ce once more when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor in 198. He briefly served as a defender of the Yangtze River, preventing a river crossing from Yuan Shu's forces before the "emperor" died a year later. In the same year, Zhou Yu was named administrator of Jiangxia and later Yuzhang by Sun Ce, finally establishing some stability for the young strategist.
That stability was uprooted when Sun Ce died in 200 AD, being succeeded by Sun Quan. While some more "ambitious" souls pointed out that Zhou Yu could have easily couped Sun Quan, he was loyal enough to the Sun clan to show his public support to Sun Quan. This move was especially appreciated by the late Sun Jian's wife, Lady Wu, who urged Sun Quan to take on Zhou Yu as his surrogate brother. Around this time, with many calling for Sun Quan to surrender to Cao Cao, who was conquering many parts of China and seemed virtually undefeatable at this point, Zhou Yu was one of the few who argued against it, convincing Sun Quan to remain independent.
Zhou Yu saw his first real field command in 206 AD, leading a two-year campaign that saw him defeat and kill Huang Zu, a minor warlord under Liu Biao. Later that year, Liu Biao died of old age, and his son Liu Cong immediately surrendered all of his father's territory, which included Jing Province and more lands outside it, to Cao Cao. What followed was a scramble between Liu Qi, Biao's unfavoured son, and Liu Bei to secure as much of Jing as possible, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become the Kingdom of Shu-Han. Liu Bei demanded the submission of Sun Quan shortly after his rise in importance, yet it was Zhou Yu who convinced Liu Bei to enter an alliance against Cao Cao with Sun Quan instead. This would be a critical event in Chinese history, as this alliance preluded the events leading up to the Battle of Red Cliffs, which saw Cao Cao soundly defeated in a catastrophic ambush by both the forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan.
The alliance gained momentum for some time after the Battle of Red Cliffs, with Zhou Yu fighting against Cao Ren in Nan commandery, driving back Ren despite being injured in the process. This marked the height of Zhou Yu's importance, as he was appointed Lieutenant General and Administrator of Nan in 209 AD, only to fall ill and die at a young age in 210 AD. Zhou Yu's death immediately weakened Sun Quan's position in central China. His successor, Lu Su, lacked the prestige that came with the Zhou Yu name and eventually "leased" (read: abandoned) Nan commandery and other lands to Liu Bei. If it's any solace, Zhou Yu did not live to see his alliance with Liu Bei shatter into a decades-long three-way civil war between the Three Kingdoms of Wu, Shu-Han, and Wei. Zhou Yu's offspring married into the Sun family frequently and retained some relevance in Wu all the way until the fall of Wu in 280 AD to the Jin Dynasty.
| Total War THREE KINGDOMS playable characters | |
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| Sentinel | Bao Xin・Cai He・Cai Yang・Cao Ren・Chang Diao・Chang Xia・Chen Heng・Chen Qian・Chen Wu・Chen Xiu・Cheng Pu・Congqian・Cui Jun・Deng Ai・Ding Feng・Gan Li・Gao Gan・Gongsun Du・Gongsun Xu・Guo Xian・Hou Yin・Han SuiS・Huang She・Huang YueyingF・Huang ZhongS・Huangfu Song・Jia Long・Jian Yong・Li Dian・Liang Xing・Liu Shang・Liu Yao・Lu Meng・Lu Zhi・Ma Mao・Qu Ying・Song Jian・Sui Gu・Sun JianS・Sun Shao・Taishi CiS・Tao Shang・Tian Fen・Wang Kuang・Wang Su・Wang Yu・Xia Zhao・Xiaoqiao・Xu HuangS・Xue Li・Yan Xing・Yang Bo・Yang Hong・Yang Zhong・Yin Li・Yu Jin・Yuan Shang・Yue JinS・Zang Hong・Zhang Hu・Zhang LiaoS・Zhang Ya・Zhao YunS・Zheng Bao・Zhu Zhi |
| Champion | Cai Zhong・Cao Ang・Cao Hong・Cao Shuang・Cao Xi・Cao Zhang・Chang Xi・Chen Jiu・Chen Lan・Cheng Yi・Dong Feng・Dian WeiS・Gao Ding・Gao Sheng・Guan Xing・Guan YuS・Han Fu・Han Hao・Hong Ming・Huan Lin・Huan Zhi・Huang Gai・Huang Zu・Huo Nu・Ji Ben・Jiang Gong・Li Damu・Li Huan・Li Yu・Ling Tong・Liu Shao・Lu Kang・Pang De・Qu Gong・Quan Rou・Sen Pei・Song Yang・Tao Ying・Tuoba Liwei・Wang Xi・Wei Huang・Wei Jie・Wen Chou・Xiahou DunS・Xianyu Yin・Xin Ping・Xu ChuS・Xu Rong・Xuan Fan・Yang Feng・You Tu・Yu Qin・Zang Ba・Zao Zhi・Zhang Fang・Zhang Fu・Zhang Guang・Zhang Lu・Zhang YanS・Zhao Du・Zheng Yan・Zheng JiangSF・Zou Lin・Zuozi Hangba |
| Strategist | Bao Xun・Bian Rang・Bu LianshiF・Cai YanF・Cai Yong・Cao Chong・Cao Zhi・Chang Lin・Che Zhou・Chen Biao・Chen Di・Chen Gong・Chen Lin・Chen Qun・Chen Zhen・Cheng Xu・Cheng Yu・Cui Lin・Cui Yan・DiaochanF・Ding Yi・Dong Yun・Dong Zhao・Du Qiong・Fa Zheng・Fan Qin・Lady FengF・Feng Shuo・Fu Gan・Fu Jia・Fu Wan・Gao Rou・Gaotang・Gongsun Xiu・Gu Yong・Guan Chun・Guan Jing・Guan Lu・Guan Ning・Guanqiu Dian・Guo Jia・Guo Tu・Han Ji・Han Ran・Han Rong・Han Yin・Handan Chun・Handan Shang・He Yan・He Zeng・Hu Zhao・Hu Zhi・Hu Zong・Hua Biao・Hua Tuo・Hua Xin・Huan Dian・Huan Fan・Huan Jia・Huang Wan・Hungfu Mi・Ji Miao・Ji Mu・Jia Chong・Jia Cong・Jia Xu・Jiang Ji・Jin Yi・Ju Shou・Kan Ze・Kong RongS・Kong Zhou・Kuai Liang・Kuai Yue・Liu Ba・Li Chao・Li Fu・Li Kang・Li Ru・Li Shao・Li Xiu・Liang Mao・Liu Dai・Liu Fu・Liu He・Liu Ji・Liu Yan・Liu Ye・Liu Yi・Liu Zhen・Lu An・Liu Fan・Lu Ji・Lu Kai・Lu Mao・Lu Su・Lu Xing・Lu Xun・Lu Yi・Lu Yu・Lu ZhengF・Ma Liang・Ma Midi・Ma Qiu・Ma Su・Ma Yu・Mao Jie・Mi Heng・Mi Zhu・Miao Xi・Min Chun・Pan Xu・Pang Ji・Pang Tong・Pei Jun・Pei Qian・Peng Yang・Qi Zhou・Qiao Zhou・Qin Mi・Quan Ji・Que Xuan・Ren An・Ren Jun・Ruan Yu・Shan Gu・Shan Tao・Shen You・Sheng Xian・Shi Wei・Shi Xie・Shi Yi・Shi Zhi・Sima Feng・Sima Fu・Sima Lang・Sima YiS・Su Shuo・Su Ze・Sun Qian・Sun Xu・Tao QianS・Teng Yin・Tian Chou・Tian Feng・Tian Jing・Wang Biao・Wang Can・Wang Dang・Wang Fu・Wang Jian・Wang Lan・Wang Lei・Wang Lie・Wang Su・Wang Xiang・Wei Dan・Wei Feng・Wei Shu・Wei You・Wei Zhao・Wei Hui・Wu Fan・Wu Shuo・Wu Zhi・Xiahou Rong・Xiahou Xuan・Xiahou Zuo・Xiahou Lang・Xiao QiaoSF・Xin Xianying・Xing Yong・Xu Gan・Xu Jing・Xu Miao・Xu Shao・Xu Shu・Xu Ta・Xu Xuan・Xu You・Xue Zong・Xun Wei・Xun Yu・Xun Yue・Yan Pu・Yan Xiang・Yan Yu・Yang Chou・Yang Dao・Yang Xi・Yang Xiu・Yao Tai・Yao Zhou・Ying Qu・Ying Yang・Ying Yu・Yu Fan・Yuan Long・Yuan Yi・Yue Dun・Zhang Chao・Zhang Cheng・Zhang Chunhua・Zhang Hong・Zhang Ji・Zhang Miao・Zhang Min・Zhang Quan・Zhang Song・Zhang Wen・Zhang Yun・Zhang Zan・Zhang Zhao・Zhang Zhen・Zhang Zhi・Zhao Ang・Zhao Qi・Zhao Wei・Zhao Yan・Zhao Yi・Zheng Mao・Zheng Mo・Zheng Sui・Zheng Tai・Zheng Xuan・Zhong Yao・Zhongchang Tong・Zhou Huan・Zhou YuS・Zhou Zhi・Zhu En・Zhu Gui・Zhu Han・Zhuge Jin・Zhuge LiangS |
| Vanguard | Bu Ji・Bu Zhi・Cai Mao・Dong Zhuo・Gan Ning・Gongsun ZanS・Liu Qi・Lü BuS・Ma ChaoS・Ma TengS・Shisun Rui・Sun CeS・Sun RenSF・Xiahou Jie・Xiahou YuanS・Yan Liang・Ze Rong・Zhang FeiS・Zhang He・Zhang Yang |
| Commander | Lady BianF・Lady CaiF・Cai Xun・Cao CaoS・Cao JieF・Cao Ren・DaqiaoF・Da QiaoSF・Dong PeishanF・Guan YinpingF・Liu BeiS・Liu BiaoS・Lady LiuF・Liu Yu・Liu ZhangS・Wang Lang・Lady WuF・Sun QuanS・Yuan AnyangF・Yuan ShaoS・Yuan ShuS・Yuan Tan・Yuan Xi |
| Healer (YTR) | Han Xian・He YiS・Liu Pi・Wang Du |
| Veteran (YTR) | Gong DuS・Guan Hai・Liao Hua・Pei YuanshaoS・Zhang KaiS・Zhao Bo |
| Scholar (YTR) | Guo Da・He ManS・Huang ShaoSWang Rao・Xu He |